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Archive for November, 2009
Tom Croom… photographer? For nudists?!
03 years ago
I forgot to post about this last week… I have been getting requests lately to use some of my random photos on Flickr for various publications. I don’t pretend to be “true” photographer in any sense of the word, but it is flattering when people contact me about it.
One of the ones I said “yes” to was (get this) a newspaper for the largest nudist community in North America. They were kind enough to send me a couple of copies and a PDF of the front page. The photo of the Japanese folks in costume is one I took at Fantasy Fest in 2009 during our trip to Key West. The print is small, but I am credited on the bottom right of the photo.
If you’re interested in checking out the paper, the website is http://pasconaturally.com/
Building walls of zeros and ones…
0So – it seems that the “block” function works the way it should on Facebook. Once I list someone by their email address or username – they can’t see anything I post anywhere AND I don’t have to see their inane bullshit (i.e. posts on friends how have them as friends.)
Keep in mind, the recent events of the past fifteen months have left me paranoid about the sudden growth (and rickety sercurity) of social networking on the Internet:
-A close friend of over five years burned bridges with the result of damaging/destroying other relationships in her wake. Then continuing to show up on “the radar” every few months in a unwelcome fashion.
-A local convention owner screaming “lawsuit” as a result of helping a friend with an issue and (legitimately) trying to help the local convention owner to succeed in the fan community.
-Someone reposted comments I made privately on my Facebook onto 4Chan. Said person came clean with the action and has promised to not do it again… and I believe him.
-Discovering a friend who I met through a very close friend was not the person of character I thought him to be for the past years that I knew him… the result causing harm to another friend of mine in the form of unemployment.
Since I started blogging almost eight years ago, I have enjoyed the freedom of sharing my opinions publicly (and oft times privately) with random readers and friends/associates. Common courtesy from people of differing points of view, though, seems dangerously close to becoming extinct the more people forget how to act in the real world.
That said – I took time to block some “special” people on Facebook today… and will open to door for select folks to return (if they want to.)
Let’s see how it goes.
Happy Thanksgiving…
0Good morning folks… I am sitting here watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and taking time to think about what I am thankful for while waiting for the time to eat.
Eating is good.
That said – I am thankful for my wife. I am thankful for my puppy. I am thankful for my awesome house, car and boat. I am thankful to be alive, employed and in good health.
I am most thankful, though, for my close friends who are (to me) my family. They continue to amaze me each year with their love, integrity and support. I am truly blessed with some amazing folks in my life.
Un-Social Networking (aka "The Phone")
3NOTE: Even if you’re not involved in the social goings on of my friends in this circumstance, there’s still a global lesson to be learned. Read on!
I have been dealing with a groups of friends that don’t always see eye to eye – but are still friends – arguing and fighting about a unfortunate circumstance that caused someone to become unemployed. (See my last post.) For those in “the know” – here are a few things to think about as you type away on your keyboards analyzing and speculating the OMGDRAMAZ:
1. The first thing I did when I heard about what happened was call Keith on the phone to speak to him and make sure he was okay.
2. I have also been on the phone, very regularly, with my hetero-life mate Silent B- er, Ken. We spoke again this morning to further discuss the issue in an attempt to find clarity and talk about the actions of those around us.
3. I also made phone calls to my wife to talk about it.
4. Angie and I have been on and off the phone for a decent amount of time to each other in the past forty-eight hours to seek each other’s advice and view points.
5. I made sure to put in a phone call to Jason D. because this topic gets touchy due to our differing relationships with some of the parties involved in order to make sure there are no issues in our relationship and respective realms. I left a voice mail and he shot me an email from his Blackberry assuring me all was well.
6. I later made a phone call to Jason S. and also left a voicemail telling him to call me because while we might not see eye to eye – we have always been sure to talk it though and I have always taken to time to listen to the opposite viewpoints to see if I am reacting correctly.
7. Last night I telephoned Damon to discuss the whole thing and the feelings of anxiety he had over all of this and related issues. We spoke for thirty minutes and both walked away with a clearer understanding of each other.
8. I picked up a phone and called my mom. Just because.
AS YOU READ THIS ON THE INTERNET please take note of the unifying theme… it’s call A PHONE. It is a great communication tool that exceeds email and social networking sites in its ability to convey tone and feeling in a conversation.
So for all of you at each other’s throats and interpreting each others statements – who have you called? You don’t always have to wait for “the other person” to call. I never do.
Food for thought.
When people just don’t get it…
3It must be nice to be a 24-year-old girl living at home with mommy and daddy (and, by the way, working for daddy) and have the luxury of enough spare time to complain about sarcastic comments on the Internet to the point of costing someone their job.
A grown man – married with two children to support – five weeks before Christmas.
I’m just speechless…
Alzheimer and Parkinson Association of Indian River County Walk…
0
The Alzheimer and Parkinson Association of Indian River County‘s 6th Annual Walk to Remember was last weekend and the charity team that I chair at my company participated. We raised over $4000 making us the top team for donations the second year in a row.
Kudos to everyone who helped out – and you can see other pics here.
Anniversary Vacation: The Trip Home…
0
After a few eventful days in the Nation’s Capitol, Shannon and I decided to break the drive up into a couple of days. We made a couple of interesting stops:
SOUTH OF THE BORDER: My parents drove past this all the time when I was a child. For those of you not familiar with it, South of the Border is a cheesy tourist trap right off of I-95 located the southern border of North Carolina and South Carolina. Dozens of billboards featuring “Pedro” and a slew of bad puns encourage you to stop by and see the place. Shannon and I decided to make the stop for ourselves – and it was every bit as bad as you’d expect. We decided to brave the excitement of taking the elevator to the top of Pedro’s hat and see the view of two states and an highway. How much did it cost you ask? To go to the top of the sombrero via elevator costs only one dollar!!!
MYRTLE BEACH, SC: I had heard about Myrtle Beach for years, but it was one of those places my family had never gotten around to visit. The town is very much “Orlando by the sea” with many attractions I would expect to find on International Drive or Downtown Disney. Among the places we saw while there: The Hard Rock Cafe (shaped like a pyramid), Planet Hollywood (still open?!), The KISS Coffeehouse (I’m not kidding), Senior Frogs (amusing), Margaritaville (larger than Orlando’s), and Cheeseburger in Paradise (awesome). While there is a lot of nice shopping and pretty beaches, the “things to do” list is rather limited. It was nice to visit, but I couldn’t see vacationing there.
You can see all the new pics since the last post starting with this one.
Yesterday we made it home and (this morning) as I write this, Shannon and I have been officially married for two years. I’m a lucky man. :)
